Statewide or regional models are used by transportation planners to study the macroscopic movement of traffic across a large area. These large area models are also used for subarea analysis, where the detailed traffic movements are studied in a small part of the entire model region. Usually the network and other inputs used for such subarea studies are manually developed involving significant effort for each study.

This presentation will describe a framework for developing focus area forecasts starting from the Ohio Statewide Model, an advanced travel demand model integrated with economic and land-use components. This focusing model produces results consistent with the statewide model, but with a higher geographic and network resolution within the study area, and is distinct from a traditional subarea model in that it maintains the region outside the focus area at the resolution of the statewide model. Procedures for development of the detailed focus area network, zone system and related travel demand matrices are largely automated. Further, the model allows for modeling intersection delay within the focus area without the need to specify intersection controls and configurations for the entire statewide network. A significant staff burden is reduced by providing a tool that can derive the detailed networks and forecasts with much less effort.

A case study is also presented to demonstrate the above framework.